Current Gun Shows - Your Experience?

[TheHobbyist]

Hope all is well wherever this message finds you.

Rather than hijack another thread, and while reminiscing about the old day's of RBurg's gun show reports, I thought I'd start a post to find out what your current experience is.

I'll share mine, while trying not to write a novel:

I guess I am 'old school' in the sense that I prefer to see what I am potentially buying in person. I enjoy the camaraderie and good people I have talked to over the years and you just never know what you might stumble into...(i.e., luck)...and even a broken clock is right twice a day, after all.

While there is some interest in the new offerings and technology, mostly my interest is in history, learning and to make a long story short, probably 'old fart' stuff from the 1950's range, with a couple exceptions.

On the few recent shows I attended, there has been very few attendees and not a lot of stuff being purchased or brought in. Most of the wares are from the last ten years or so, confidently priced revolvers, and some descriptions (LNIB, with no rifling and 'tired' overall) make me concerned about continuing this hobby for the next generation (should they buy something not represented clearly, costly, etc.).

At the next show I am planning to attend, I am thinking about bringing a Model 17-4 with combat grips, LNIB. Is it worth my time? Not looking to retire on the proceeds from the sale, just no interest in offers of $500.00. Were I to sell online, then I contribute to the inability to find locally at the show...

Luck has been had in other items, be it old WW2 era pocket knifes, some boxes, grips that were mint, stuff like that.

Anyways, I could probably go on for a while and curious for your thoughts.

 

[mk70ss]

Here in Knoxville, the gun shows tend to have too many tshirt sellers, beef jerky, and cheap, crappy Chinese knives. The gun sellers are about 75 % AR’s and AR accessories and plastic handguns. The wood and steel vintage stuff also tends to be overpriced.

 

[jdlii]

mk70ss took the words right off the tips of my fingers! I haven't been to a "big" show in four years due to outrageous prices and not so friendly sellers.

I went to a small show a couple of years ago and it was tolerable but, not anything that I was looking for or needed. There was one table with about a dozen pre lock Smith's priced beyond my interest level.

 

[mchom]

A few months ago in Tulsa. I thought it was good. Sellers seemed negotiable for most part. My son, my brother and myself all picked up a gun each.

 

[teletech]

There used to be a lot of regionalism to shows, but with the internet being ubiquitous, that's pretty well over. If something sells online for x, then the view is it's worth something like x everyplace. In way, that's not wrong since there clearly IS a market at x and buying in-person you get to inspect the item closely and perhaps avoid shipping costs, taxes, transfer fees, and the like. On the other hand, it's easy for someone to mis-judge condition or scarcity because they have one *almost* like the one that sold for a bunch of money.
Don't go to a show looking for a deal on a snake gun, M-1 rifle or carbine, or old Winchester lever gun, because there is a ton of comps and information easily accessible to the novice. What you do still sometimes find is a good deal, sometimes very good, on something obscure where if you don't know it, it's hard to find comps on.
Yeah, t-shirts and jerky... it's easy to hate on those vendors for diluting the shows, but like junk mail subsidizes the post office, those vendors do make it cost-effective to rent a hall, advertise, provide security and the rest. Without them, I'm guessing the show is the same three-dozen gray-beards meeting at the local VFW a few times a year. Now, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that or I wouldn't be there, but the larger shows *do* help people think about the old revolver that grand-dad kept in his sock drawer that they just don't care about and maybe could get a few bucks for.

 

[Ameshawki]

The circuit is still very strong in Iowa. I probably hit fifteen to twenty shows a year. I can almost always find something I like and usually at a decent price. We have at least a half dozen good sized dealers that work the shows, pricing tends to be competitive.

 

[AJ]

Shows here are well attended by both buyers and sellers. There is a local show at our county fairgrounds as I write this. Never counted, but I would say at least 200 tables. 75+% of the sellers are black guns, shotguns and plastic pistols. 5% are seller T shirts, knives and assort like stuff. 20% are selling blue steel and wood firearms, some over priced and some reasonable. Some of the dealers will haggle and some stand firm. We have this show about every two months or so, and the best thing is as the crow flies it is about 3 miles fom my house.

 

[robertrwalsh]

Here in the formerly great state of California the gun shows have become pale shadows of what they once were. Part of this is due to changes in the law, some of which are being corrected by court action. Some is due to major league harassment of vendors by local authorities. Some is due to vendors being stupid and giving local authorities a handle to harass them. In any even the smaller shows are 1/2 to 1/3 the size they used to be. The larger shows are microscopic in comparison to their prior footprint. Recent court actions are now requiting that government venues (Cow Palace, Cal Expo, etc) MUST make their venues available for gun shows so this might loosen up again. Maybe.

 

[NYlakesider]

Well, we have a small- medium size show going on this weekend in Albany.

Made no plans to attend it. Most of the shows today are a knife, sunglasses and possibly a few over priced guns to sell. (mostly plastic long and short guns)

Many times I will go to the shows as I normal run into people I know and have not seen in a while. Decide that a 65 mile trip each ways was just not worth it.

 

[Puller]

There have always been vendors selling T-shirts, jerky, and jewelry at gun shows. That's nothing new. Sometimes there would be some good used book vendors too.

I heard a guy lamenting to a vendor about the lack of older guns and the proliferation of AR type rifles and polymer pistols. The vendor, quite correctly I think, said it was a "gun show" not an "antique show", and these days AR's and polymer pistols are the mainstay.

I miss the abundance of C&R firearms from 20 years ago, but that's not the gun shows fault, it's just that the supply to the market has changed.

 

[robvious]

here in Nebraska and Iowa there is a gunshow culture... the big ones have jewelry, t-shirts, jerky, siding & windows & gutters.. along with the new stuff... but hidden in and amongst the junk is usually metal & wood treasures... the smaller shows invert the proportions... mostly good stuff... still worth it for now...

 

[AJ]

Here in the formerly great state of California the gun shows have become pale shadows of what they once were. Part of this is due to changes in the law, some of which are being corrected by court action. Some is due to major league harassment of vendors by local authorities. Some is due to vendors being stupid and giving local authorities a handle to harass them. In any even the smaller shows are 1/2 to 1/3 the size they used to be. The larger shows are microscopic in comparison to their prior footprint. Recent court actions are now requiting that government venues (Cow Palace, Cal Expo, etc) MUST make their venues available for gun shows so this might loosen up again. Maybe.

I use to go to the Orange County Gun Show when I was stationed at Seal Beach. Good show with lots of vendors and buyers.

We also went to the LA gun show at the fairgrounds. There were two the big show was billed as 14 miles of tables. The small show was billed as 7.5 miles of tables. I think that it is now the Las Vegas gun show as the county supervisors banned gun shows at the LA Fairgrounds.

 

[ladder13]

The Dixie Show in Raleigh is well attended and lots of tables. Once in awhile you can pick up a fairly priced, or undervalued, Smith revolver.
Show coming up next weekend, temps in the 30’s, might as well go.

 

[Grimjaws]

Western New York

I go twice a year to the show at the Fairgrounds. About 200 or so tables. I have no interest in AR or plastic. I am alway on the hunt for Herrett grips for my j and k frames. I recently picked up a 5904 so will be adding 10 round magazines to the hunt. While I have had good deals in the past the recent show had way above normal prices on blue and wood revolvers. Felt like 60% was knives. Did find a nice holster for my 19-3 for $10 - basket weave old S&W police issue. Looking for specific things like grips and only stopping to look at old revolvers makes it easy to bypass all the plastic. There is going to be a big show in Syracuse that I am looking forward to as it has about 800 tables.

Truth be told I go to shows not expecting to find anything but to enjoy time away from the daily routine. If I grab some grips or holsters or such then even better. If I get a great deal on an old revolver then a score!

There is always the chance of getting a great find so I like to go.

 

[ACORN]

Hit a local show in Washington Co. yesterday. I large room an 2 smaller. One of the dealers told me she tried to rent another table but was refused as they were all out. First time I’ve heard of that. Lots of atendees too.
Some prices were stupid. I look for reloading stuff and smalls.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

Use to go the big show at the Columbia Fairgrounds. Bought some nice stuff there in the past.........Now the charge you $5 to drive in and some "mone backer" tells you where to park. Then anywhere between $8-$12 to get in the door. Several years they cut off the water fountains so if you got thirsty you had to buy water or something to drink. seldom go to any anymore.

 

[Goony]

Lots of shows all the time in Arizona. Some small, others pretty good sized. One problem here is that for whatever reason the promoters seem to be rather antagonistic toward each other, which results in multiple shows being scheduled on the same weekend and competing with each other to everyone's detriment. Not surprisingly, at certain promoters' events you'll see some of the same vendors over and over again. Most of their wares, if at all collectible, tend to be on the ordinary side, and generally overpriced. Anything decent that walks in (if it even gets past the door) tends to be snagged up by these regulars. Still, for the more knowledgeable (and decisive) attendees who pay attention, there can be gems that get overlooked/undervalued and can be had, especially at tables taken by folks who are selling only on an occasional, or even one time, basis.

 

[Electraclyde]

I go to a few just for intertainment value. I did not start until the late 80's but before that I went to lots of motorcycle "swap meets" They also have changed a great deal and are no longer interment.

 

[AJ]

One of the best shows that I go to when I am there is in a small town in Pa. It is a club show and the members bring in their old items they no longer want. Lots of great stuff shows up........guns and accessories!

 

[AJ]

Hit a local show in Washington Co. yesterday. I large room an 2 smaller. One of the dealers told me she tried to rent another table but was refused as they were all out. First time I’ve heard of that. Lots of attendees too.
Some prices were stupid. I look for reloading stuff and smalls.

Never got to that show when I was stationed in Pittsburgh. Did go to the ones at the Expo Mart in Monroeville, they were great. Heard they had gone down hill drastically.